


Now Put Your Hands Up

by writing_everyday



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, Song: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), s03 e22: Goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26484985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_everyday/pseuds/writing_everyday
Summary: Missing Scene in "Goodbye"Summary: Tina and Brittany teach Burt Hummel “Single Ladies”(Follows canon)
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Burt Hummel & Kurt Hummel, Carole Hudson-Hummel/Burt Hummel, Finn Hudson & Kurt Hummel, Finn Hudson & Noah Puckerman, Kurt Hummel & Brittany S. Pierce, Tina Cohen-Chang & Kurt Hummel
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	Now Put Your Hands Up

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a scene I've always wondered about so I finally decided to just write it. This is Burt's POV.

Burt Hummel liked to think he knew his son fairly well. These last couple years he felt like they were finally moving towards each other again. He’d lost Kurt after Elizabeth passed. They were both grieving. Sometimes Burt forgot that he didn’t just lose his spouse, Kurt had lost his mother. It was easy to chalk Kurt’s behavior up to grief. 

The hiding in his bedroom. Exiling himself. Cooking dinner for the two of them. For the most part, doing the cleaning. 

Burt missed his wife but he knew she was never coming home. Every day, he waited for a Kurt that he remembered to walk through the front door. He never came. It was always this new Kurt that Burt didn’t know how to connect with even though he tried to talk to him at dinner and when they’d watch tv together. 

Then, two years ago Kurt wandered into the garage as light on his feet as ever. Burt never understood Kurt’s careful footsteps because no one could hear anything over the noises of their machines. Hell, they screamed at one another to talk shop. He remembered that conversation perfectly. When Kurt had joined glee club, Burt was disappointed it wasn’t a sports team but Kurt never was the kid to follow the norm. It had been so long since he had seen his son smile like he had when he talked about singing and dancing. 

Burt chuckled when he remembered thinking Beyoncé was one of the girls in glee and Kurt had corrected him. 

_“No, dad, she’s, like, the biggest pop star in the world.”_

As nice as this trip down memory lane was, Burt was no closer to knowing what to get Kurt for graduation. This kid was the hardest person to buy for because the only things Kurt wanted and didn’t already have were too damn expensive. 

Cause as funny as it would be to see the look on Kurt’s face if Burt got Beyoncé to come to his graduation party, it just wasn’t plausible. He could already see Kurt’s jaw-dropping. But that wasn’t possible, this was a small town in Ohio and Burt could _not_ afford her. 

“Hey dad,” Kurt said, coming in through the front door. 

“Hi bud, how was school? Where’s your brother?” 

Kurt was sliding off his shoes. 

“School was good. Tina made it through a love song without crying.” 

“And Finn?”

“He left with Puck.” Kurt shrugged. 

“That means we’ll have another mouth to fed at dinner,” Burt said. 

“Maybe two?” Kurt questioned, already pouting hopefully. “Blaine wants to study together.”

“Yeah okay, Blaine can come over.”

“Thanks, Dad! I’m going to call him now.”

With that, Kurt went up the stairs. Burt rubbed his eyes and tried to focus again but all he could think about was Tina crying in glee club. She must’ve been so happy to sing a solo and not let a tear fall. Burt tried to remember the last time he saw her.

Feels like years but it was probably only a week or two ago. He definitely remembers the first time he met Tina. They were still at their old house. Kurt’s bedroom was in the basement because he wanted more space or something. Brittany and Tina were in those dance outfits, leotards maybe? There had been music playing. That “Single Ladies” song by Beyoncé. 

Kurt had looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him. Tina and Brittany were confident and curious when Burt interrupted them. 

It was at that moment, they started to understand each other again. All because of some Beyoncé song. Wait, Beyoncé! 

Burt knew exactly what to get Kurt now. He just had to get some phone numbers. 

***

Dinner was a short affair. Puck and Finn wanted to play video games then Blaine and Kurt wanted to study some more. Burt reminded both pairs to keep their bedroom doors cracked open. Carole laughed at his antics from the kitchen. 

“Let me help you clean up,” he told her. 

“You know they’re going to make out anyway, right?” she asked. 

“Who’s they? Finn and Puck or Kurt and Blaine.”

Carole laughed again. “I was thinking Kurt and Blaine but you’ve got a point. Finn and Puck do act like a couple sometimes. I swore they were holding hands when they came in earlier.” 

Burt smiled at her as she closed up the dishwasher and started it. 

“Movie?” Carole asked.

They went into the living room. Burt sat down and put his arm around the back of the couch and Carole snuggled into his side. 

“What would I have to do to get Finn to keep a secret?”

“That depends,” Carole said. “For how long and from who?”

“A week or so. It’s for Kurt.”

“I think letting him pick the next two Friday night dinners might do it. And maybe a weekend off from the shop.”

“Hard bargain.”

Carole looked up at him. “It's worth it.”

As it turns out, Carole was right. Finn was more than willing to hide the fact that Burt needed Tina and Brittany’s phone numbers. He decided it was best to not ask Burt why and just be satisfied with choosing this week’s dinner. 

Burt came across another bump in his plan. What were these two teenagers going to think about an almost 50-year-old man texting them? This was weird and kind of creepy. He shouldn’t do it but on the other hand, it was for Kurt and Finn already gave him their numbers. 

Of course, Carole was at work so he couldn’t ask her advice. 

**Burt: Hi girls, it’s Burt Hummel. Kurt’s dad. I was hoping you two could help me out with Kurt’s graduation gift. I’d appreciate it if you could keep this from him because I want it to be a surprise.**

Tina, surprisingly as it was during the school day, got back to him instantly. 

**Tina: Mr. Hummel, Tina here. I’d love to help. What’s the present?**

**Burt: I need help learning a dance routine.**

**Brittany: Kurt’s fabulous. I love everything he does and I love dancing. Want us to come after school to help?**

**Burt: I’m so thankful for both of you being willing to help out. Kurt’s out with Rachel this afternoon so it’d be great if you could meet me at the garage. I don’t want to risk him coming back early.**

Wouldn’t it be a twist for Kurt to come down the basement, slightly horrified, by his father dancing to “Single Ladies” with two of his glee club friends? 

Burt was going to make sure it was a surprise but on his terms, not Kurt’s. 

As they said they would, the girls met him at the garage. He had cleared a spot out back for them to practice. _Rehearse_ , the Kurt in his head corrected. 

“So, what's the big number?” Tina asked. 

“6.02214076 × 1023,” Brittany recited. 

“What?” Burt asked. 

Brittany repeated herself then said, “it’s avocado’s number.”

“Don’t you mean Avogadro’s number?” Tina corrected. 

“I’m pretty sure it’s avocado.”

“Anyway,” Burt said, changing the subject, “to answer your question, Tina, it’s ‘Single Ladies’.”

“Ooo, yay! I love that one,” Brittany said, clapping. 

“Let’s start with your feet placement,” Tina told Burt. 

She tapped his legs and positioned him correctly. Brittany stood in front of Burt to show him the specific step and Tina stood next to him to help configure his body the right way. 

In just over an hour, Burt knew the order of the steps. Now, he had to learn to be in sync with his dancemates. He tried to tell them he only needed lessons, not backup dancers but the girls insisted. The dance was simply not the same without backup. 

When he got home from the shop that night, with a promise to Brittany and Tina for one final rehearsal before their performance, he caught himself humming the tune of “Single Ladies”. He assumed he was going to have to learn the words too. Brittany said it helped sometimes to use the lyrics as a guide to remember dance steps. Tina disagreed, she liked to memorize lyrics so well that it was second nature to sing while dancing. If she focused too much on the words, she’d lose her place in the dance. 

His singing and humming only escalated after their second rehearsal, which Burt had totally nailed the performance on his second try. Burt made an effort to stop himself when Kurt was around not wanting to risk him asking questions. There was no doubt in Burt’s mind that Kurt would start to investigate why his father was suddenly a Beyoncé fan. He might even convince Burt to buy tickets for her next tour. As much as Burt was enjoying “Single Ladies” he had no desire to be dragged to a concert. 

On the day Burt was sitting on the edge of the stage waiting for Kurt, he wasn’t nervous. This performance was going to be great. The only concern he had was whether Kurt would like it or not.


End file.
